The Developmental, Individual Difference, Relationship-Based Model (or DIR model) refers to a comprehensive foundational model which utilizes affect-based interactions and experiences corresponding to the unique needs of special students to promote all-round development.

Developed by Dr. Stanley Greenspan and Dr. Serena Wieder, the model aims to discover the true potential of special students by building meaningful connections, and through communication, love and engagement to lay a healthy foundation for social, emotional and intellectual capacities, instead of focusing on isolated skills and behavior.

The DIR model is constructed around three primary insights, regarding the development of mind and the brain, whose details are-

Interaction

The DIR model is based on the premises that language and cognition, along with social and emotional skills are acquired through emotionally meaningful exchanges between the child and the caregiver. Since the brain undergoes rapid development in early childhood years, such interactions are fundamental in providing a sense of connectivity to students.

Researchers believe that lack of connectivity not only affects language and cognitive development of children, but might also hinder their physical growth. While emotions and experiences lead all aspects of development, the objective is to educate special students in a community framework to ensure interactive experiences and relationships.

Varying Motor and Sensory Processing Capacities

Several researches conducted to gain useful insight into processing capacities in early childhood concluded that children differ in their ways of responding to touch, sound and other sensations, which considerably affects their auditory, language, visual-spatial, motor and sequencing abilities.

The objective of the DIR model is to identify those differences to help students adapt across a broad range of abilities, rather than developing skills and behavior separately.

It can be accomplished by tailoring classroom environments to suit the unique needs of special students. Regular counselling sessions with occupational therapists and speech pathologists are also effective in developing individual processing abilities in children.

Interrelated Development

An essential aspect of the DIR model is the inter-relatedness of various aspects of development. Therefore, the effort should be to ascertain how language, social and motor skills are integrated in a child and how the components work together, as a whole, rather than assessing such skills separately.

From all the childhood stories that I have ever heard from my mother, this particular one stands to be one of my personal favorites.

Why?

Because it inspires me to stand up against all odds when things are looking down in life.

This is why I decided to share it with you all today.

I was a dyslexic child.

My mother, who wanted to teach me a few things before I joined school discovered my problem when she was trying to get me accustomed to the English alphabets.

She was very perturbed by the turn of events and starting losing hope for the bright future she had envisioned for me.

She always discussed her problems with my aunt, and this, being a major issue for her had to be talked about.

My aunt is one of the most well-informed and knowledgeable women I have known in my life.

She consoled my mother, citing examples of her neighbor’s child who had dyslexia.

The child, after joining a special needs school in NYC had been able to overcome his learning challenges and is now the topper in his class.

Like all mothers, my mother too was protective about me and saw a ray of hope with this discussion.

She searched for the leading special needs school in NYC and immediately got me enrolled in the one she deemed was best for me.

Apart from confidence building and the other creative exercises we did in school, the teachers at my special needs school advised my mother to take care of a few things at home to help in my learning.

They suggested my mother to ignore some of the errors I made while writing and pay more attention to getting the oral part correct first.

There were days when I clearly remember my mother and my aunt attending classes and therapy sessions with me, just to get a hang of the things that take place at the special needs school in NYC I was enrolled in.

Now that I am about to start practicing as a clinical psychologist, I would give full credit to my mother, my teachers at school and my aunt for believing in me.

Every time I feel bogged down about anything in life, I love having these sessions with my mom wherein she reassures me of my strength and capabilities through the story of how I conquered dyslexia.

The early emotional interactions of a child form the foundation of his/her intellect, sense of identity or self, communication skills, and his/her ability to relate and draw conclusions.

Children on the spectrum are no exception to this fact and Floortime therapy forms an augmentative factor that helps autistic children develop advanced problem solving, thinking, coping and adapting capabilities.

Floortime therapy is based on a simple line of thought that has unlocking a special child’s true potential through the relationship between the child and the caregiver at its core.

It is a method in which the child’s natural emotional interests are followed and the child is challenged to master his/her emotional, intellectual and social skills.

Following are the ways in which Floortime therapy helps children on the autism spectrum-

Having said all of this, it is worth wondering if this therapy can make life easier for the parents of children diagnosed with autism.

On that note, let us discuss how Floortime therapy can be helpful for the parents as well-

These are only a few benefits of Floortime Therapy; apart from these, this therapy can also help in creating a harmonious and secure attachment between the child and his/her parents.

The aim of special education schools in NYC is to provide special students with equal opportunity to acquire the appropriate skills and knowledge, give them a chance to stand on their own feet, and maximize their potential as an individual and as members of the greater society.

The goal is to develop a suitable learning environment for special students as per their learning needs at an individual level.

It should be mentioned here that special education is an umbrella term that offers services to students suffering from physical, mental, learning or any other social-emotional challenges.

Special education schools in NYC provide appropriate support and structure to students with special learning needs and also make efforts to improve their communication and emotional processing capabilities. It involves conducting music, occupational and psychological therapies.

Another important aspect of special education schools in NYC is the active involvement of parents in the education of their children. Their progress is discussed with parents at weekly scheduled meetings and in informal discussions from time-to-time.

Such meetings are also vital in helping parents overcome the challenges they might be facing in providing a wholesome upbringing to their children.

Some schools also assign a social worker who works as a mediator between parents and the school.

The aim is to provide special students with the apposite support and guidance in school as well as at home and help them succeed in various fields of their life.

Contrary to popular belief and myths, special education is more than merely teaching children with special needs to read and write. It goes beyond all that and includes many other aspects that contribute towards the development of key life skills required later in life.

Some special education schools in NYC are a perfect example for this fact.

These schools are not just involved in imparting the basics of math, science and language along with helping special children overcome their sensory, emotional, physical, mental, or social needs; these schools help such children become empowered and confident individuals with talents that can help them become leaders in whatever field or career they venture into.

Along with special accommodations and provisions, children with unique learning needs require unhindered love, care and affection from their educators and instructors. It is not to be confused with spoon-feeding which is a wrong practice as children also need to be taught to be independent.

Constant appreciation and encouragement, even for the smallest progress and achievement help a child with special needs perform better and feel inspired to do even better.

Teachers at some of the special education schools in NYC make sure that every effort made by their students are recognized and appreciated.

Children are also encouraged to perform simple daily activities and tasks on their own with little or no help from the teachers or teacher assistants in class. It might get challenging in the beginning, but with practice and encouragement, nothing is impossible for these children.

With renewed self-confidence, children with special needs are encouraged to be more ambitious in life and to set high goals for themselves based on their interests and capabilities. 

The support, love and motivation of their parents as well as of their teachers help special children take on every challenge they may face and triumph over them.

Special Education in America

Just a few decades ago, children with special needs faced many difficulties in learning. There were no specific courses for special learning. These problems significantly affected their lives as well as the way they went about their regular activities.

But that is no longer the case as the present state of special education in NYC, and the US in general, is an indication of how good the future is for special children.

The Rise of Special Education Awareness

Although Braille and hearing aids helped children with visual and auditory challenges, there was no legal program in place to standardize special education. In 1961, the President’s Panel on Intellectual Disability was established which gave its recommendations on the state of special education and the ways to improve it. As a result, President Kennedy, in 1963 introduced legislations to fund special healthcare and to train special education teachers, which was the start of mainstream special education in NYC.

Historic Acts Pertaining to Special Education

The Bureau of Education for the Handicapped was established in 1965, which was later renamed to Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Although its early efforts did not include special programs for public schools, that was soon about to change.

In 1972, the Supreme Court took a big decision – It stated that students with disabilities have equal education rights as regular children. This served as a catalyst for the passing of the “Education for All Individual with Special Needs Act” in 1975, which made it mandatory for regular schools to provide education to children with special needs.

In 1990, establishment of “Americans with Disabilities Act” and “Individuals with Disabilities Education Act” prohibited discrimination based on disabilities and made it compulsory for public schools to pay individual attention to special children.

With the American government playing a crucial role in improving special education in the US, the conditions of special children in the US have greatly improved, and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future.

There is no dearth of behavioral models that target the developmentally deficient areas in children and adolescents who are on the spectrum. However, no model has come as far as the DIR Model in terms of efficacy and popularity. The popularity came only because this model, which was developed by Dr. Stanley Greenspan was sufficient and was able to effectuate noticeable improvements to the deficient areas as well as the challenges faced by autistic children.

Some of the key strategies of the DIR model which can be implemented very conveniently by the parents at home are-

These are some simple steps which are a part of the DIR Model that can be implemented by parents of children on the autism spectrum to help the children overcome all sensory, social, verbal, cognitive and intellectual challenges.